Industrial Safety & Hygiene News articles from April 2007

Industrial Safety & Hygiene News archives from April 2007

5 keys to effective lockout/tagout safety.
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the nearly 20 years since OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147, The Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout) was enacted, thousands of tragic incidents from hazardous energy sources have no doubt been avoided through...

Bolivian child miners--not my problem! A smaller world requires greater empathy.( comments)(Editorial)
April 1, 2007... Almost 20 years ago we ran on the front cover of ISHN a large, close-up photo of a young boy, hard hat tilted on his head, sitting on a construction pile in Beijing, China. That shot came to mind not long ago while I was skimming through a...

Fatigued workers costly to employers.(news SCAN)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new study has found that 37.9 percent of U.S. workers experience fatigue, and that the problem carries billions of dollars in costs from lost productivity. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine...

Style points driving growth in European PPE market.(Report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The personal protective equipment (PPE) market in Western Europe experienced many changes in 2006, and trends indicate a shift in the focus of PPE toward worker safety, comfort and style over cost, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan. The...

ASSE releases new construction safety standards.(news SCAN)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recently announced the approval of the new American National Standard Institute (ANSI)/ASSE A10.46-2007 standard, Hearing Loss Prevention in Construction and Demolition...

Teens face increased workplace dangers.(news SCAN)
April 1, 2007... A national study to interview teenagers about on-the-job dangers found many violations of federal laws, including teens performing risky tasks. Many teens said they operated hazardous equipment, received no safety training and worked alone...

New rule: high-vis apparel needed for workers on federal roads.(rules & REGS)
April 1, 2007... By the end of 2008, all workers within right-of-way of federal-aid highways who are exposed to traffic or construction equipment in the work area will have to wear high-visibility safety apparel, according to a new rule--23 CFR Part 634 Worker...

ISEA to OSHA: improve hearing protection regs.(rules & REGS)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) has petitioned OSHA to reduce the level of noise to which workers may be exposed without putting noise-control measures in place. The current U.S. regulation...

Cleaning product maker fined more than a quarter-million dollars.(rules & REGS)
April 1, 2007... OSHA levied a Buffalo, N.Y.-area company the region's biggest fine in the past five years for repeatedly ignoring workplace safety rules. The agency cited Crescent Marketing Inc., a cleaning products maker in North Collins, for 53...

Arizona panel hopes to preempt injuries with fines.(rules & REGS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... State and federal agencies often assess fines for safety violations after an injury has occurred. But in Arizona, the state's worker safety commission says it will fine three Tucson businesses for violations ranging from unsafe scaffolding to...

"Know-it-alls" need not apply: safety leaders get the answers from others.(PSYCHOLOGY of safety)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Some business managers are stuck in the past. They believe we are still in the Industrial Age of top-down control. They do not appreciate nor embrace a paradigm shift in the 21st Century, identified by Peter Drucker as the "Age of the Knowledge...

Good old mom ... is she part of an at-risk population?(MANAGING BEST practices)
April 1, 2007... I need your help. There's a clip from an old song playing in my head that "something is happening here, but what it is, is not exactly clear." Hopefully after reading this article you will drop me an email, with subject line ISHN Help, at...

Nonverbal "markers" of safety: looking for truth behind the slogans.(POSITIVE SAFETY cultures)
April 1, 2007... My previous column dealt with nonverbal aspects of one-to-one, personal communication. But there is still much more to nonverbal communication. At a broader level, symbolic nonverbal messages are sent out by teams, departments, offices,...

Welding safety: protect your workers and contain costs by using the right PPE strategy.
April 1, 2007... Providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to help protect welders and other employees has always been a top priority in the metal fabricating industry, as well as in other industrial environments. These days, personal protection has been...

Hand protection: when risks are obvious ... why won't employees follow procedures?
April 1, 2007... Hand hygiene saves lives," exclaims the slogan on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings Web site--http://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/. But like many safety slogans, this one too is often...

Outbreak control: promote skin & hand hygiene for a healthy workplace.
April 1, 2007... It turns out that your mother did know best--keeping your hands clean is one of the smartest things you can do to stay safe and healthy. Whether it's from surfaces such as sinks, handrails, light switches, and doorknobs or shared equipment like...

Safety knives: 6 knife design keys to help you cut down on injuries.
April 1, 2007... Safety knives are a necessary tool in almost any industrial workplace. Much has been said about the do's and don'ts of using safety knives, yet some topics are taken for granted that are essential to understanding what "safety knife" really...

Let the fog roll in to keep workers cool.
April 1, 2007... Back in the 1920s, people who lived in places like Arizona would often sleep outside on screened-in porches during the summer. (1) On hot nights, they'd hang bed sheets or blankets soaked in water inside the screens. Whirling electric fans...

1 Mobile worker safety.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 252 Grace Industries' TPASS and MR900 receiver enhance GPS and AVL systems by adding rapid notification and location of a lone worker in distress. Worker's TPASS transmits a radio call for help to the...

2 Two-way headsets.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 254 Connect-by-Cable Headsets from MSA reproduce and amplify sounds while automatically filtering out harmful noise levels. Ideal for use in high-impulse noise areas, road maintenance and other...

3 Hard-line communication.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 255 Rescom[R] Modular[TM] provides intrinsically safe, full duplex, hard-line communication in confined space and rescue. The system meets OSHA permit-required confined space entry standards and offers the...

4 Radio communication.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 251 CavCom offers accessories to its radio communication system for high noise and respirator use. A chest harness is available for electronic components, and an extra-large PTT button allows radio...

5 Wireless headsets.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 250 Bluetooth[TM] Headsets from Peltor transmit and receive wirelessly up to 50 feet away from adaptor. Featuring a noise-canceling boom microphone, the headset allows for ultimate flexibility when...

6 Portable intercom system.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 253 The CON-SPACE Power Talk Box System is an intrinsically safe, portable intercom system that provides untethered continuous two-way voice communication. With a Power Talk Box at one end and a controller...

7 Digital audio device.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Communication Solutions)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 257 Talking Alert![TM] from TowerSwitch is a new digital audio device designed to reduce workplace accidents via automatically triggered loud, audio safety messages and emergency alerts. Packaged in a...

1 Comfortable harness.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 263 Requiring just one first-time adjustment, the North RITEON[TM] Harness will always don correctly without further alteration. The easy-to-use, ergonomically designed, lightweight (4.3 lbs.) harness...

2 3-man roof anchor.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 258 The new 3-Man Swiveling Roof Anchor from DBI-SALA increases worker safety, mobility and productivity. The system features three independent, swiveling anchorage points to accommodate up to three...

3 Roof edge fall protection.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 260 KeeGuard[R] is a modular, free-standing roof edge railing system that can be used for roof edge fall protection, walkway demarcation, and stairwell and open lift shaft fall protection. The system does...

4 Floor hatch railing kit.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 264 Floor hatch railing kit from Safety Rail Source exceeds OSHA and BOCA standards, is available in aluminum or steel, and is easy to assemble using only a Hex Key and Kee Klamp[R] fittings. The kit uses...

5 Construction harness.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 261 A new line of Miller Revolution[TM] Construction Harnesses feature durable webbing, rotary design and back/shoulder padding for all-day comfort. Designed for the construction market, the harnesses'...

6 FP products.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 259 FrenchCreek Production's new 2007-2008 product catalog features a wide range of category headings, including full-body harnesses, roofing kits, lanyards, rebar assemblies, retractable lifelines, rope...

7 Full-body harness.(PRODUCT UPDATE: Fall Protection)
April 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CIRCLE 262 The versatile TechnaCurv[TM] Tower full-body harness from MSA offers many features, including Curvilinear Comfort System; variable-width sub-pelvic webbing; Secure-Fit buckles; Visco-Elastic shoulder...

Emergency response ... it's all in the family.
April 1, 2007... One of the reasons I rarely play golf is that, frankly, I'm not very good at it. Those who play regularly improve their skills and those who don't... don't. Between the pressures of family life and working for a living, I've had precious...

Include "non-participants" in your permit-required confined space rescue training.(training STRATEGIES)(Report)
April 1, 2007... * Worker dies inside sewage digester while attempting to restart a propane heater; coworker attempting a rescue also dies, both due to an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. * Worker collapses and dies while cleaning a wastewater holding tank;...

Safety 2007: ASSE's Professional Development Conference & Expo.(Conference notes)
April 1, 2007... The future of workplace safety, occupational leadership challenges, corporate safety perspectives, key issues and more will be featured at the ASSE's Professional Development Conference and Exposition, Safety 2007, to be held June 24-27 in...